Dickf
Well-known member
This is a long post, but those of you contemplating other bikes may find this valuable.
Put my money down for an 06 FJR1300AE, even though the bike I am currently riding is, IMHO, the best bike I have ever owned. Must be bored. Here is my history of bikes and what I thought of them:
1960 - A 1958 Harley '74 Duo Glide. Tough and damned good loooking. A classic. Not up to modern standards of course.
1965 - A 1965 BMW R69S. POS. I understand new boxers are fine. They had better be better.
1972 - A Harley 1972 (IIRC) ' 74 FX. Some improvements, some regression. Not the bike the '58 was, considering the year.
1982 - A Honda 1982 (IIRC) '82 V45 Magna. Great engine. Valve adjustment problems, gas tank rusting problems, mufflers lasted about 6 months (these problems very un-Honda like). Got bored with it.
1985 - A 1979 Honda CBX. Really liked that bike (6 cylinder engine, smooth, great sound, adequate power). Sort of the end of the older cylinder head design and air cooling, probably why Honda did not develop the engine to its full power potential.
1995 - A 1995 Honda CBR1000F. Absolutely outstanding bike, first class sport tourer. Put Heli-bars on it, otherwise unmodified. Only real problem was ongoing destruction of Dunlop front tires. Solved problem (mostly) by going to Michelins. But, after a few years I found I just had to have a newer, higher powered model, even though I knew that was stupid.
2000 - A 2000 (IIRC) CBR1100XX. Amazingly powerful bike, but much less comfortable - hard ride and Heli-Bars brought riding position up to about the stock CRB100F riding position. Worst fault of bike: Encouraged aggressive riding. Sure enough, slipped on some gravel. Cosmetic damage totaled $8,800 (list) on a $9,500 bike. Could have put it back on the road for about half that (accepting a few scratches, here and there), but I took the hint and sold it off.
2001 - A Honda ST1100 (don't recall year, doesn't really matter). Not a bad bike, but I had two problems with it: The riding position was too far forward for stock bars and windscreen. Much better with windscreen off. Heli-bars and custom extension worked with stock windscreen OK, but then seat tilt a problem. Also, didn't like the sound of the engine. Finally remembered, from my youth, where I had heard that sound before: A two cylinder two stroke Evenrude/Johnson 35 hp outboard motor. Tried Two Bros mufflers and all I did was create a louder outboard motor sound. At least it was smooth and had decent power (no Harley or Road Star 60 hp crap). Good gas mileage, 50 MPG; 300 mile tank range.
2002 - A 1995 Honda CBR1000F. Looking in the local paper, I saw one for sale. Sure enough it was my old bike, the one I traded in on the CBR1100XX. Luck for me, the kid I bought it from didn't know how deperately I wanted it back.
2002 - A 1996 Honda CBR100F. Why? Because Ramón crossed the centerline, took out a pickup truck, and then headed for me. I executed an unintentional low side crash by locking up the front brake trying to avoid Ramón's POS station wagon. Because lard skids to a stop more quickly than plastic and aluminum, I stopped short of the wreck, but my poor 1995 CBR1000F did not. Totaled. Gained new appreciation for ABS. Found replacement 1996 model with only 4,000 miles on it (I had 75,000 on the 1995 model). Problems with 1996 model: Had to replace the voltage regulator and am currently fighting a nasty brake problem. Somehow, air is getting into the rear brake line. Linked brakes vastly complicate the problem. American Honda consulted, and they thought the problem was the proportioner valve ($500!!). Wrong, that wasn't the problem. Currently fighting brake problem. Only a question of time and money (lots of it).
2003 - A 1996 (IIRC) Honda Valkyrie. (Kept the CBR1000F). Why the Valkyrie? I wanted to try out an upright riding position (getting older, now). The Good: Great engine, power and smoothness wise. This particular bike was good looking. Reliable, no problems. The Bad: Buffeting behind windshield, rear suspension designed for looks, not function (really the whole bike is that way). Something is wrong with the aerodynamics. Goldwings, I understand, are OK, but I refuse to be seen on one. Had to endure snide remarks from brother regarding size, weight, etc. The Ugly: Gas mileage. At best about 32, decreased with speed down to about 25 at 75 mph. Had to stop every 100 miles for gas. Sold it to same brother who bad mouthed it (go figure).
2005 - Placed order for 2006 FJR1300AE. Why? I'm bored again. This time I will definitely keep the CBR1000F until I am *sure* I like the FJR better. I don't know how I will like the automatic clutch/shifting and other aspects of the bike. I do expect more power, but lower gas mileage. The 1000F gets me > 50 mpg commuting with speeds about 60 mph or less. This drops to about 47 mpg at 75 mph. The FJR will get me less, but it should be reasonable.
Wish me luck.
From where I now sit, I would recommend a 1994-1996 CBR100F to anybody who wanted an outstanding sport-tourer at a fraction of the cost of an FJR. Put Michelins on it, keep the tire pressure up, add a Scott oiler (messy, but I now have 38,000 miles on the factory original chain). This summer I put almost 7,000 miles on it in two weeks, including one 1,050 mile day, and I am 63. Smooth, fast enough, and comfortable. No bags, but all you have to do is fill up a rafting bag (waterproof) and another duffel bag, strap them on the back, and go.
Dick Frederick
Put my money down for an 06 FJR1300AE, even though the bike I am currently riding is, IMHO, the best bike I have ever owned. Must be bored. Here is my history of bikes and what I thought of them:
1960 - A 1958 Harley '74 Duo Glide. Tough and damned good loooking. A classic. Not up to modern standards of course.
1965 - A 1965 BMW R69S. POS. I understand new boxers are fine. They had better be better.
1972 - A Harley 1972 (IIRC) ' 74 FX. Some improvements, some regression. Not the bike the '58 was, considering the year.
1982 - A Honda 1982 (IIRC) '82 V45 Magna. Great engine. Valve adjustment problems, gas tank rusting problems, mufflers lasted about 6 months (these problems very un-Honda like). Got bored with it.
1985 - A 1979 Honda CBX. Really liked that bike (6 cylinder engine, smooth, great sound, adequate power). Sort of the end of the older cylinder head design and air cooling, probably why Honda did not develop the engine to its full power potential.
1995 - A 1995 Honda CBR1000F. Absolutely outstanding bike, first class sport tourer. Put Heli-bars on it, otherwise unmodified. Only real problem was ongoing destruction of Dunlop front tires. Solved problem (mostly) by going to Michelins. But, after a few years I found I just had to have a newer, higher powered model, even though I knew that was stupid.
2000 - A 2000 (IIRC) CBR1100XX. Amazingly powerful bike, but much less comfortable - hard ride and Heli-Bars brought riding position up to about the stock CRB100F riding position. Worst fault of bike: Encouraged aggressive riding. Sure enough, slipped on some gravel. Cosmetic damage totaled $8,800 (list) on a $9,500 bike. Could have put it back on the road for about half that (accepting a few scratches, here and there), but I took the hint and sold it off.
2001 - A Honda ST1100 (don't recall year, doesn't really matter). Not a bad bike, but I had two problems with it: The riding position was too far forward for stock bars and windscreen. Much better with windscreen off. Heli-bars and custom extension worked with stock windscreen OK, but then seat tilt a problem. Also, didn't like the sound of the engine. Finally remembered, from my youth, where I had heard that sound before: A two cylinder two stroke Evenrude/Johnson 35 hp outboard motor. Tried Two Bros mufflers and all I did was create a louder outboard motor sound. At least it was smooth and had decent power (no Harley or Road Star 60 hp crap). Good gas mileage, 50 MPG; 300 mile tank range.
2002 - A 1995 Honda CBR1000F. Looking in the local paper, I saw one for sale. Sure enough it was my old bike, the one I traded in on the CBR1100XX. Luck for me, the kid I bought it from didn't know how deperately I wanted it back.
2002 - A 1996 Honda CBR100F. Why? Because Ramón crossed the centerline, took out a pickup truck, and then headed for me. I executed an unintentional low side crash by locking up the front brake trying to avoid Ramón's POS station wagon. Because lard skids to a stop more quickly than plastic and aluminum, I stopped short of the wreck, but my poor 1995 CBR1000F did not. Totaled. Gained new appreciation for ABS. Found replacement 1996 model with only 4,000 miles on it (I had 75,000 on the 1995 model). Problems with 1996 model: Had to replace the voltage regulator and am currently fighting a nasty brake problem. Somehow, air is getting into the rear brake line. Linked brakes vastly complicate the problem. American Honda consulted, and they thought the problem was the proportioner valve ($500!!). Wrong, that wasn't the problem. Currently fighting brake problem. Only a question of time and money (lots of it).
2003 - A 1996 (IIRC) Honda Valkyrie. (Kept the CBR1000F). Why the Valkyrie? I wanted to try out an upright riding position (getting older, now). The Good: Great engine, power and smoothness wise. This particular bike was good looking. Reliable, no problems. The Bad: Buffeting behind windshield, rear suspension designed for looks, not function (really the whole bike is that way). Something is wrong with the aerodynamics. Goldwings, I understand, are OK, but I refuse to be seen on one. Had to endure snide remarks from brother regarding size, weight, etc. The Ugly: Gas mileage. At best about 32, decreased with speed down to about 25 at 75 mph. Had to stop every 100 miles for gas. Sold it to same brother who bad mouthed it (go figure).
2005 - Placed order for 2006 FJR1300AE. Why? I'm bored again. This time I will definitely keep the CBR1000F until I am *sure* I like the FJR better. I don't know how I will like the automatic clutch/shifting and other aspects of the bike. I do expect more power, but lower gas mileage. The 1000F gets me > 50 mpg commuting with speeds about 60 mph or less. This drops to about 47 mpg at 75 mph. The FJR will get me less, but it should be reasonable.
Wish me luck.
From where I now sit, I would recommend a 1994-1996 CBR100F to anybody who wanted an outstanding sport-tourer at a fraction of the cost of an FJR. Put Michelins on it, keep the tire pressure up, add a Scott oiler (messy, but I now have 38,000 miles on the factory original chain). This summer I put almost 7,000 miles on it in two weeks, including one 1,050 mile day, and I am 63. Smooth, fast enough, and comfortable. No bags, but all you have to do is fill up a rafting bag (waterproof) and another duffel bag, strap them on the back, and go.
Dick Frederick
